Data Science

The combination of in situ spectroscopy methods allowed to detect the evolution of a catalyst precursor to the catalytic material, and investigate a relevant reaction. The reduction of a mixture of perovskite, pyrochlore and nickel leads to the formation of active and selective catalytst, converting carbon dioxide and methane to syngas. 

Polyoxomolybdates have been directly synthesized from basic reagents in a mechanochemical one-pot reaction.

Magnetic topological phases of quantum matter are an emerging frontier in physics and materials science, of which kagome magnets appear as a highly promising platform. Here, we explore magnetic correlations in the recently identified topological kagome system TbMn₆Sn₆ using muon spin rotation, combined with local field analysis and neutron diffraction. Our studies identify an out-of-plane ferrimagnetic structure with slow magnetic fluctuations which exhibit a critical slowing down below T
_^*C1 ≃ 120 K and finally freeze into static patches with ideal out-of-plane order below T_C1 ≃ 20 K....

An international group of researchers led by the Paul Scherrer Institute has carried out in-depth analyses of the climate impact of blue hydrogen. This is produced from natural gas, with the CO₂ resulting from the process captured and permanently stored. The study concludes that blue hydrogen can play a positive role in the energy transition – under certain conditions.

The development of next-generation perovskite-based optoelectronic devices relies critically on the understanding of the interaction between charge carriers and the polar lattice in out-of-equilibrium conditions. While it has become increasingly evident for CsPbBr₃ perovskites that the Pb–Br framework flexibility plays a key role in their light-activated functionality, the corresponding local structural rearrangement has not yet been unambiguously identified. In this work the photoinduced lattice changes were investigated using combination of time-resolved and temperature-dependent studies at Br K and Pb L₃ X-ray absorption edges and ab initio simulations.

The recently discovered kagome superconductor CsV₃Sb₅ (T_c ≃ 2.5 K) has been found to host charge order as well as a non-trivial band topology, encompassing multiple Dirac points and probable surface states. Such a complex and phenomenologically rich system is, therefore, an ideal playground for observing unusual electronic phases. Here, we report anisotropic superconducting properties of CsV₃Sb₅ by means of transverse-field muon spin rotation (μSR) experiments.

Aerosols in the atmosphere react to incident sunlight. This light is amplified in the interior of the aerosol droplets and particles, accelerating reactions. ETH and PSI researchers have now been able to demonstrate and quantify this effect and recommend factoring it into future climate models.

Many in-memory computing frameworks demand electronic devices with specific switching characteristics to achieve the desired level of computational complexity. Existing memristive devices cannot be reconfigured to meet the diverse volatile and non-volatile switching requirements, and hence rely on tailored material designs specific to the targeted application, limiting their universality. “Reconfigurable memristors” that combine both ionic diffusive and drift mechanisms could address these limitations, but they remain elusive. Here we present a reconfigurable halide perovskite nanocrystal memristor that achieves on-demand switching between diffusive/volatile and drift/non-volatile modes by controllable electrochemical reactions.

This highlight presents a successful, in-house developed integration of an Electron Beam Ion Source (EBIS) able to ionize gases to high charge states with a customized commercial MC-ICP-MS. The successful joining of the two ion flight paths is a milestone towards comprehensive routine analyses of solids, liquids, and gases using THE SAME MASS SPECTROMETER, the latter analyses free from atmospheric contamination. After implementation of an introduction system for gas mass spectrometry, routine analyses will comprise isotope ratio and relative abundance determinations of fission gases in used nuclear fuel. In addition to the unique versatility of the MC-EBIS-ICP-MS, inclusion of the EBIS furthers opens the little-studied field of mass spectrometry of highly charged ions.